Pages

Art in the Garden

My good friend Adrian's husband, Larsen started a unique charity in Knoxville. Random Acts of Flowers takes recycled products such as used flowers, plants, vases, etc. from weddings and funerals and turns them into gorgeous gifts for people in hospitals and nursing homes. He came up with the idea after falling off a ladder and having to stay in hospitals for months.

One of the largest fundraisers for the organization is Art in the Garden, held at the beautiful Knoxville Botanical Gardens. Tickets are $50 but the price you pay for the evening is well worth it (plus it's for charity!). The food was artistic and delicious. The drinks were creative (it was so hot that I only had the cucumber water and lavender lemonade) and attendees watched live art demonstrations while listening to live music!

There was a silent auction for unique and impressive pieces of artwork and then a live auction at the end of the evening for the paintings and sculptures the artists were working on while we watched.

If you are looking for a charity to be involved in, this is a good choice. When I first heard about the non-profit, I wasn't sure about supporting it. I thought: why spend money to give cut flowers that will die anyway? Well, upon research of the charity, I learned that isn't what the group does at all. They actually take items that would go straight into our landfills and re-purpose and recycle them!

You might be surprised at how many flowers and vases are thrown out each week. The brainpower behind Random Acts of Flowers sources those loads of "trash" and turns them into gorgeous gifts for people who may not have family, friends or hope as they are stuck in the hospital. To support the efforts, you can donate money, donate flowers or volunteer to deliver arrangements and put a smile on people's faces.

I bid on a few small items last night and just loved this painting (shown in pic). It matched my dress, was painted in my favorite colors but was already up to $500 in bids... It went home with a happy, deserving owner and the charity now has more cash to operate on and possibly expand to other cities in Tennessee!